Went out on Sat. targeting Croaker at West Point (couldn't make it out on the Rapp River to windy). When we got there it was pretty windy. For bait we used squid, raw shrimp, and bloodworms. The Croaker hit everything. We caught about 35-40. Are biggest was 2 1/2 lbs. Every other one was 1 1/2 lbs and under. We also caught 2 monster eel's. Then at the very end of the day I caught this really looking fish. It was caught on cut croaker. I have no clue what it was it was brown, had a tadpole like tale, teeth, and it's body was like a half inflated softball with the whole front of the head was pure mouth and also it was 7 1/2 to 8 inches long. Never seen anything like it. I always seem to catch some wierd creature that i've never seen before.

Sounds like you caught either a stargazer or a monkfish, most likely a stargazer. Watch out, they can literally shock you!

That UGLY beast was an Oyster Toad.

JohhnyBlue, U were right, i looked it up on google images and it looked exactly like it. Are oyster toads common to catch? Dangerous? How did you know that, have you caught many of those? Thanks for identifying that ugly beast!! MarlinManic the monkfish looks similar but the Oyster toad is what i caught. The 2 look very similar. Thanks for the info!!

Toads are very common they are a pain in the butt specialy when you get one that weighs a couple of pounds

Watch out. Oyster Toads can bite the hell out of you. I'm pretty sure they use their mouths to break open oyster shells so I wouldn't be surprised if one could really mess up a finger or toe if not completely bite it off. I use long pliers and wear a thick leather glove and shoes whenever I take one off the hook.

Definitely an oyster toad. I've caught alot of them.

Sorry for the misidentification Stripezone. I thought everyone fishing the bay had caught and could identify an oyster toad. They are everywhere. I was thinking a little more exotic!

MMMmmMMM Fresh Oyster Toad. One of the Tastiest fish in the sea ! The tails are delicious !

Here is an easy way to get the beast off the hook without even touching it. Get a metal rod that you can put a hook shape into one end and still have twelve inches or so for a handle. Hold the the line above the hook and slide the hook you made down onto the hook with the fish. Pull staight out to either side so that the hooks are joined. hen simply flip the fish back toward you and it will come right off.

MarlinManic thats wierd because i've never seen or heard of an Oyster Toad until u guys told me what it was. That was the first time i've ever caught one in over 10 years with a boat. Wierd i guess.

Got to pure LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

better stick to striper fishing !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess the fish god finally wanted me to catch that Ugly Beast! One more fish to the list of fish caught

Holy cow! The first fish I saw come out of the bay was the dreaded brown trout! Either you don't bottom fish much or you are extraordinarily blessed to have never caught one in 10 years! BTW, I'll take Jeff's word that they taste good - Ill never find out myself. I've had to dehook them several times because the guy I took fishing was too SCARED of the critter to handle it!

I guess i'm blessed because i go bottom fishing all the time. That's what i'm good at. Since I have a small boat i bottom fish at the mouth of the Rapp. River or a little farther in the river. Also i've caught so many other different critters bottom fishing that i've nenver seen before but this was a sure first.Thats wierd if they are so common.

Yep the ole oyster toad, one ugly looking fish. Theres alot of them when we go chunking for rockfish during the fall. They will eat anything, even fingers. Becareful when handling them. Nice report by the way too,


-Chris

Stripezone, they're very common here in the lower bay. Up in the Rappahannock there might be too much fresh water. Oyster toads might not like the lower salinity levels. But that's just a guess.

Ahh, that's why! Toads like to hang around rocks and other structure where they'll blend in. The CBBT is loaded with them.

thinking a little more exotic!

Only fish I use a rag to take off.

Not sure why, but those darn things turn me into a regular sissy girl.

Yea, as soon as I saw it i went straight for the pliers. Didn't even want to know what that think could do.

is this fish same as sea raven?

I don't think they're the same although i see a close resemblance with the brown ones

I think we found Owen`s golden horseshoe

Last October I caught a slew of them in/around the small boat channel/CBBT. Sometimes two at a time on a bottom rig. While trying to get to the hooks they would snap their mouths shut pretty fast, making a loud "clomp" noise. Wouldn't want to get anything in the way of that! (we need an ani with a hand/finger getting bitten!)
They have rubbery skin that's pretty easy to hold on to bare handed. Careful of the spines in their back though. I've read in some places that at least one of the spines has venom of some kind.
Wasn't sure about the edible part, but there's more than a few sites that state that it is edible, but often isn't due to how ugly it is. Too bad, a couple of the ones I caught were pretty big! (as big as keeper sea bass) Next time I'm keepin' a couple to try out. Rubber skin = less mess when cleaning. It wouldn't surprise me if they were tasty!

Since i have a small boat and don't live near the cbbt area might be the problem. I have fished there before but only for Stripers. Also if you do ever try and eat the oyster toad. Report what it taste like, I really wanna know

I caught 6 oyster toads last week tog fishing, a personal best.

Every time I've gone bottom fishing with Billy Baxter on the boat there has been a school of oyster toads following my boat all competing for the honor of being caught by Billy. Never seen anything like it. If there ever was a Toad Tournament he'd win it by a long shot. To be fair I should also mention that he is a champion skate fisherman.